Rearward-Mounted Sight for a Bow

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention are a rearward-mounted bow sight for use with a bow, such as a compound bow, a bow having a rearward-mounted sight, and a method for mounting a bow sight rearwardly of a bow&#39;s riser. The bow has a front side facing away from a user of the bow and a rear side closer to the user of the bow while the user is holding the bow in a shooting position. The bow sight includes a front side and a rear side, such that when the sight is mounted on the bow&#39;s riser, the front side of the sight housing is facing the user of the bow while the user is holding the bow in the shooting position, and the rear side of the sight housing is facing away from the user of the bow in the shooting position.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a non-provisional application and claimspriority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, ofearlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/725,313, filedNov. 12, 2012, and entitled “APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR ANIMPROVED BOW SIGHT AND MOUNT.” The identified earlier-filed provisionalapplication is hereby incorporated by reference into the presentapplication in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the invention are directed to an apparatus, system, andmethod for an improved bow sight and mount. In particular, embodimentsof the invention are directed to a bow sight that is mounted rearwardlyof a riser of a bow, such that the bow sight is positioned closer to theuser when the user is shooting the bow.

2. Related Art

Bow sights are conventionally mounted to a riser of a bow, such as acompound bow, and forward of the riser, such that the sight extends awayfrom the user when the user is in the shooting position. The user thenuses the bow sight, and sight pins mounted within the bow sight, tosight-in a target. Some users will also use a peep sight located on thebow string to further assist in sighting-in the target. The peep sightis a circular tab providing a peep hole that the user will look throughand align with a pin in the sight during aiming. To improve aiming, somedesigns replace the peep hole with a fixed aperture on the bow's riser.The aperture extends rearwardly of the sight and is used in place of thepeep hole, such that the user aligns the aperture with the pins in thebow sight during aiming.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspectsand advantages of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawing figures.

Embodiments of the invention are a rearward-mounted bow sight for usewith a bow, such as a compound bow, a bow having a rearward-mountedsight, and a method for mounting a bow sight rearwardly of a bow'sriser. The bow has a front side facing away from a user of the bow and arear side closer to the user of the bow while the user is holding thebow in a shooting position. The bow sight of embodiments of theinvention broadly comprises a sight housing and a mounting bracket. Thesight housing includes a front side and a rear side, such that when thesight is mounted on the bow's riser, the front side of the sight housingis facing the user of the bow while the user is holding the bow in theshooting position, and the rear side of the sight housing is facing awayfrom the user of the bow in the shooting position. The sight housingcomprises a sight guard and at least one sight pin positioned within thesight guard. The mounting bracket is configured to mount the bow sighton the bow's riser. The mounting bracket includes alongitudinally-extending mounting arm coupled to the sight housing at agenerally 90 degree angle to the sight housing. When mounted to thebow's riser, the longitudinally-extending mounting arm extends away fromthe rear side of the sight housing, such that the sight is mounted on arear side of the bow closer to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is rear perspective view of a bow having a rearward-mounted bowsight of embodiments of the invention mounted on said bow;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the bow sight illustrated in FIG.1; and

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the bow sight illustrated in FIG.1.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which theinvention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled inthe art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized andchanges can be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is definedonly by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents towhich such claims are entitled.

Embodiments of the invention comprise a bow sight 10 for mounting to arear side of a bow 12, such as a compound bow, a bow having arearward-mounted sight, and a method of mounting a bow sight to a rearof a bow. The bow 12 illustrated in the Figures is a compound bow.However, it is to be appreciated that the rearward-mounted sight ofembodiments of the invention may be used with a variety of bow types,including recurve bows, reflex bows, self bows, straight bows, longbows,and composite bows. Therefore, reference to a compound bow herein is notintended to be limiting. Moreover, a single-cam compound bow isdescribed herein, but it should be appreciated that different types ofcompound bows also could be used with embodiments of therearward-mounted bow sight of the invention.

The compound bow 12 broadly comprises a body 14 including a top limb 16,a bottom limb 18, and a riser 20 vertically spaced between the top andbottom limbs 16,18 and integrally formed with said limbs; a buss cable22; an idler wheel 24 and a cam 26 connecting the buss cable 22; a bowstring 28; a laterally-extending cable rod 30; and a grip section 32 onthe riser 20. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the buss cable 22 and bow string28 face towards a user when the user is shooting the bow 12. The userwill place their hand (for a right-handed user, the user will placetheir left hand) on the grip section 32 on the riser 20. The user willsteady an arrow (not shown) against the bow string 28, pull the bowstring towards the user with the user's right hand (if the left hand isotherwise gripping the grip section 32), and then release the bow string28 to shoot the arrow. A whisker biscuit (not shown) may be used tosteady the arrow while preparing to shoot. Additionally, the bow 12 mayinclude an arrow rest (not shown) for holding one or more arrows on thebow and easily accessible to the user. The compound bow of FIG. 1 isintended to illustrate primary features of a bow that can be used withthe bow sight 10 of embodiments of the invention, but as may beappreciated, the bow may include other accessories or structure, such asdampeners to limit vibration, silencers to limit the sound of the bowstring being drawn, a peep hole on the bow string to provide moreaccurate shooting, etc.

Embodiments of the invention provide a bow sight 10 that is rearwardlymounted relative to the bow 12. As noted above, when in the shootingposition, the buss cable 22 and bow string 28 face the user. The bowriser 20 is positioned away from the user. As used herein, the termforward (or front) or derivations thereof is intended to define adirection away or distal from the user, and the term rearward (or back)or derivations thereof is intended to define a direction towards orproximate the user. In FIG. 1, the forward direction is identified bythe area F, and the rearward direction is identified by the area R. Ascan be appreciated, forward and rearward directions or areas are withrespect to the bow 12 but are also explained here relative to the userfor reference.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the bow sight 10 of embodiments of theinvention is shown. FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the bow sight 10as viewed by the user when shooting the bow 12, and FIG. 3 illustrates arear view of the bow sight 10, which faces away from the user when theuser is shooting the bow 12. The bow sight 10 broadly comprises a sighthousing 34 and a mounting bracket 36. The sight housing 34 includes amounting section 38 to which the mounting bracket 36 is coupled, asdescribed in detail below, and a sight guard 40. The sight guard 40laterally extends from the mounting section 38 of the sight housing 34,as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mounting section 38 of the sight housing 34 isgenerally block shaped and includes a graduated elevation scale 42, anelevation knob 44, a graduated windage scale 46, a windage knob 48, athreaded opening 50 for receipt of a light (not shown), and a front openaccess section 52. As is known, the elevation and windage scales 42,46are used to sight-in a target. The respective elevation and windageknobs 44,48 turn threaded bolts 54 that, when turned, allow fortargeting based on an elevation or windage. The scales 42,46 aregraduated and include a plurality of tick marks 56, as best illustratedin FIG. 3. Also shown in FIG. 3, at a top end of the sight housing 34,the threaded opening 50 is provided for the user to insert a light (notshown). Referring to FIG. 2, the front open access section 52 will bedescribed further below.

The sight guard 40 comprises a generally closed perimeter 58 having anopening 60 therethrough so that the user of the bow 12 has a sight linethrough the sight guard 40. The sight guard 40 may be circular-,trapezoidal-, square-, or rectangular-shaped. The sight guard 40illustrated in the Figures is generally circular-shaped. Mounted withinthe sight guard 40 is at least one sight pin 62 (also known as an opticpin) for indicating a distance for aiming purposes. If multiple sightpins 62 are mounted within the sight guard 40, each sight pin 62 mayrespectively indicate 20 yards, 30 yards, and 40 yards, although thepins are adjustable, and more or less sight points may be mounted withinthe sight guard or the pins may indicate different yardages.Alternatively, the pins 62 can be moved vertically for obtainingdifferent yardage distances for targeting. Embodiments of the inventionprovide advantages when aiming and viewing the sight pins, as describedin more detail below. In embodiments of the invention, the sight pins 62are approximately 0.005-0.018 inch in vertical height, approximately0.007-0.015 inch in vertical height, or approximately 0.010 inch invertical height.

The sight guard 40 may also include various accessories to assist theuser in aiming. For example, the sight guard 40 may include a sight ring64 that is colored (for example, colored yellow or orange), fiber optics66 surrounding the sight guard for illuminating the sight pins 62 toassist with aiming at night or at dusk, and a bubble level 68 (see FIG.2). Additionally, the sight pins 62 may be moved or changed by accessingthe open access section 52 of the mounting section 38 of the sighthousing 34, as shown in FIG. 2. In particular, a plurality of pin mounts70 are provided and can be loosened or tightened for moving the pins 62within the sight guard 40.

The mounting bracket 36 is used to mount the sight 10 on the riser 20 ofthe compound bow 12, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The mounting bracket 36broadly comprises a longitudinally-extending mounting arm 72 and aretainer bracket 74. The longitudinally-extending mounting arm 72 iscoupled to the sight housing 34, and in particular, the mounting section38 of the sight housing 34, at a generally 90 degree angle to the sighthousing 34, as illustrated in FIG. 3. When the sight 10 is mounted onthe riser 20 of the bow 12, the longitudinally-extending mounting arm 72extends away from a rear side 76 of the sight housing 34, such that thesight 10 is mounted rearwardly of the bow 12, and, in particular, theriser 20 of the bow 12, and closer to the user.

The longitudinally-extending mounting arm 72 includes a forward end 78for mounting to the bow 12 and a rearward end 80 for coupling with thesight housing 34. The forward end 78 of the mounting arm 72 includes atleast one bracket fastener 82 for securing the mounting arm 72 to thebow's riser 20. The bracket fastener 82 comprises at least one screw orbolt 84 threaded through an opening 86 in the mounting arm 72 and into athreaded opening 88 in the bow's riser 20. The user mounts the bow sight10 to the bow 12 by placing the forward end 78 of the mounting arm 72against the bow's riser 20, aligning the opening(s) 86 of the bracketfastener 82 of the mounting arm 72 with the opening(s) 88 in the riser20, and securing and tightening the bolt or screw 84 through therespective openings 86,88.

As noted above, the mounting bracket 36 further includes the retainerbracket 74. Referring to FIG. 3, the retainer bracket 74 is coupled tothe mounting section 38 of the sight housing 34 (such as via screws asshown) and is configured for receiving the rearward end 80 of themounting arm 72. The rearward end 80 of the mounting arm 72 is tined topresent a plurality of tines 90 for interfitting with at least onegroove 92 on the retainer bracket 74. In particular and as shown in FIG.3, a top, a middle, and a bottom tine 94,96,98 are provided and areconfigured to interfit with the groove 92, such that the middle tine 96is perpendicularly inserted in the groove 92, the top tine 94perpendicularly overlays a top of the groove 92, and the bottom tine 98perpendicularly underlays a bottom of the groove 92. The tines 94,96,98of the mounting arm 72 include a plurality of vertically-alignedopenings 100 for receipt of a vertically-oriented locking pin 102therethrough. Upon interfitting the tines 94,96,98 of the mounting arm72 with the groove 92 on the retainer bracket 74, the locking pin 102 isinserted through the vertically-aligned openings 100 to secure themounting arm 72 to the sight housing 34. If the user desires to move thesight housing 34 laterally relative to the fixed mounting arm 72 (it isfixed because it is secured to the bow's riser 20), the user can loosenthe windage knob 48 and move the mounting arm 72 laterally along thegroove 92.

Embodiments of the invention provide several advantages over knownfront-mounted bow sights. For example, when a user shoots a bow, it iscommon for the user to torque the bow due to a poor grip on the riser,drawing the bow string, and other factors. The torqueing or rotation ofthe bow in turn adversely affects the accuracy of the shot. Althoughgood archers can minimize their torqueing of the bow, some torqueing ofthe bow is still exhibited. Mounting the sight to the rear of the bowriser lessens the degree to which the sight moves relative to the user'seye, which results in significantly improved accuracy. To be clear, theuser may still torque the bow to the same degree. However, because thesight, and specifically, the sight pins, are closer to the user's eye,the user aims more accurately than if the sight is farther away from theuser's eye. That is, the movement of the sight is affected less by thetorqueing of the bow than a forward-mounted sight.

Other advantages are also obtained from embodiments of the invention. Bypositioning the sight housing 34 behind or rearward of the bow's riser20 rather than in front of the riser 20, a majority of the weight of thesight housing 34 is placed in line with the bow's axles, which improvesthe balance of the bow 12 in the user's hand and in turn assists theuser in more accurate aiming. Additionally and as noted above, the sightpins 62 are now much closer to the user's eye. For most average-sizedadult users, the sight pins 82 are approximately 8 inches closer to theuser's eye. For forward-mounted bow sights, the top two pins arecommonly set for 20 and 30 yards, respectively. By moving the pinscloser to the user's eye via the rearward-mounted sight 10 ofembodiments of the invention, two separate pins to indicate 20 and 30yards are not required. The top sight pin in the rearward-mounted sightis then configured for aiming from 10-30 yards. This makes sighting-inmuch easier and faster, which is desirable in situations that requirequick and accurate aiming, such as hunting. Moreover, having a singlesight pin represent a larger range of distances reduces the possibilityof the user selecting the wrong pin for aiming purposes, as may be donein hunting or other situations requiring quick and accurate aiming. Ascan be appreciated, the specific yardage distances may change based onthe pins, the bow, and other aiming conditions. As noted above, thesight pins of embodiments of the invention may have a vertical height ofapproximately 0.010 inch. Industry-standard size for fiber optic pins is0.019 inch. By moving the sight pins closer to the user's eye, eachsight pin's height can be reduced, which enables the user to aim at amuch smaller area of the user's target. Moreover, if the user uses apeep hole or sight, a peep sight having a larger diameter may be user,which will gather more light. This is advantageous in low-lightconditions, such as dusk when hunting. Finally, by mounting the sight tothe rear of the bow's riser, the sight is better protected thanconventional front-mounted bow sights.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described above and withrespect to the drawings, it should be appreciated that embodiments ofthe invention may include additional features than described above. Forexample, various mounting brackets, including a dovetail design, may beused to rearwardly mount the sight on the bow's riser. Moreover, inembodiments, the sight may be reversibly mounted, so that it can bemounted forward of the bow's riser, as is known, or rearward of thebow's riser, as described herein.

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:

1. A bow sight for mounting on a bow, the bow having a front side awayfrom a user of the bow and a rear side closer to the user of the bowwhile the user is holding the bow in a shooting position, the bow sightcomprising: a sight housing having a front side and a rear side, whereinupon the sight being mounted on the bow, the front side of the sighthousing is facing the user of the bow while the user is holding the bowin the shooting position, and the rear side of the sight housing isfacing away from the user of the bow in the shooting position, saidsight housing including a sight guard, and at least one sight pinpositioned within the sight guard; and a mounting bracket for mountingthe sight on a riser of the bow, said mounting bracket including alongitudinally-extending mounting arm, wherein thelongitudinally-extending mounting arm is coupled to the sight housing ata generally 90 degree angle to the sight housing, wherein thelongitudinally-extending mounting arm extends away from the rear side ofthe sight housing, such that when the sight is mounted on the bow, thesight is mounted on a rear side of the bow closer to the user.
 2. Thebow sight of claim 1, wherein the sight guard is generallycircularly-shaped.
 3. The bow sight of claim 1, wherein the sight guardis generally trapezoidal in shape.
 4. The bow sight of claim 1, whereinthe longitudinally-extending mounting arm includes a forward end formounting to the bow and a rearward end for coupling with the sighthousing.
 5. The bow sight of claim 4, wherein the forward end of themounting arm includes at least one bracket fastener for securing themounting arm to the bow's riser.
 6. The bow sight of claim 5, whereinthe bracket fastener is at least one screw threaded through an openingin the mounting arm and into a threaded opening in the bow's riser. 7.The bow sight of claim 5, wherein the mounting bracket further includesa retainer bracket coupled with the sight housing and for receiving thelongitudinally-extending mounting arm.
 8. The bow sight of claim 7,wherein the rearward end of the mounting arm is tined to present aplurality of tines for interfitting with at least one groove on theretainer bracket.
 9. The bow sight of claim 8, wherein the tines of themounting arm include a plurality of vertically-aligned openings forreceipt of a vertically-oriented locking pin therethrough.
 10. The bowsight of claim 9, wherein upon interfitting the tines of the mountingarm with the plurality of grooves on the retainer bracket, the lockingpin is inserted through the vertically-aligned openings to secure themounting arm to the sight housing.
 11. A bow having a front side awayfrom a user of the bow and a rear side closer to the user of the bowwhile the user is holding the bow in a shooting position, the bowcomprising: a body including a top limb, a bottom limb, and a riservertically spaced between the top and bottom limbs and integrally formedwith said limbs; a buss cable; an idler wheel and a cam connecting thebuss cable; a bow string; a grip section on the riser cables; and asight mounted on the riser of the bow, the sight including a housinghaving a front side and a rear side, wherein the front side of the sighthousing is facing the user of the bow while the user is holding the bowin the shooting position, and the rear side of the sight housing isfacing away from the user of the bow in the shooting position.
 12. Thebow of claim 11, wherein the sight housing includes a sight guard and atleast one sight pin positioned within the sight guard, wherein the sightfurther includes a mounting bracket for mounting the sight on the riserof the bow, said mounting bracket including a longitudinally-extendingmounting arm, wherein the longitudinally-extending mounting arm iscoupled to the sight housing at a generally 90 degree angle to the sighthousing, and wherein the longitudinally-extending mounting arm extendsaway from the rear side of the sight housing, such that the sight ismounted on a rear side of the bow closer to the user.
 13. The bow ofclaim 12, wherein the longitudinally-extending mounting arm includes aforward end for mounting to the bow and a rearward end for coupling withthe sight housing, wherein the forward end of the mounting arm includesat least one bracket fastener for securing the mounting arm to the bow'sriser, and wherein the bracket fastener is at least one screw threadedthrough an opening in the mounting arm and into a threaded opening inthe bow's riser.
 14. The bow of claim 13, wherein the mounting bracketfurther includes a retainer bracket coupled with the sight housing andfor receiving the longitudinally-extending mounting arm, wherein therearward end of the mounting arm is tined to present a plurality oftines for interfitting with at least one groove on the retainer bracket,wherein the tines of the mounting arm include a plurality ofvertically-aligned openings for receipt of a vertically-oriented lockingpin therethrough, and wherein upon interfitting the tines of themounting arm with the plurality of grooves on the retainer bracket, thelocking pin is inserted through the vertically-aligned openings tosecure the mounting arm to the sight housing.
 15. A method of mounting abow sight on a bow having a front side away from a user of the bow and arear side closer to the user of the bow while the user is holding thebow in a shooting position, the method comprising: providing a bowincluding a body having a top limb, a bottom limb, and a riservertically spaced between the top and bottom limbs and integrally formedwith said limbs, a buss cable, an idler wheel and a cam connecting thebuss cable, a bow string, and a grip section on the riser cables;providing a bow sight configured for mounting on the riser of the bow,the sight including a housing having a front side and a rear side; andcoupling the bow sight to the riser of the bow, such that the front sideof the sight housing is facing the user of the bow while the user isholding the bow in the shooting position, and the rear side of the sighthousing is facing away from the user of the bow in the shootingposition.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sight housing includesa sight guard and at least one sight pin positioned within the sightguard, wherein the sight further includes a mounting bracket formounting the sight on the riser of the bow, said mounting bracketincluding a longitudinally-extending mounting arm, wherein thelongitudinally-extending mounting arm is coupled to the sight housing ata generally 90 degree angle to the sight housing, and wherein thelongitudinally-extending mounting arm extends away from the rear side ofthe sight housing, such that the sight is mounted on a rear side of thebow closer to the user.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thelongitudinally-extending mounting arm includes a forward end formounting to the bow and a rearward end for coupling with the sighthousing, wherein the forward end of the mounting arm includes at leastone bracket fastener for securing the mounting arm to the bow's riser,and wherein the bracket fastener is at least one screw threaded throughan opening in the mounting arm and into a threaded opening in the bow'sriser.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the mounting bracket furtherincludes a retainer bracket coupled with the sight housing and forreceiving the longitudinally-extending mounting arm, wherein therearward end of the mounting arm is tined to present a plurality oftines for interfitting with at least one groove on the retainer bracket,wherein the tines of the mounting arm include a plurality ofvertically-aligned openings for receipt of a vertically-oriented lockingpin therethrough, and wherein upon interfitting the tines of themounting arm with the plurality of grooves on the retainer bracket, thelocking pin is inserted through the vertically-aligned openings tosecure the mounting arm to the sight housing.